This invention relates to a hinge apparatus for use in an electronic apparatus, such as a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a notebook-type personal computer.
For example, a mobile telephone generally comprises an operating part and a display part. The operating part is provided with an operating portion. The display part is provided with a display surface. Recently, the operating part and the display part are often connected by a hinge apparatus to be foldable, i.e., openable and closable. Such a mobile telephone will hereunder be call a foldable mobile telephone.
With the foldable mobile telephone, the display part may be opened only when it is desired and required. Thus, it is possible to protect the operating portion and the display surface and to prevent an operation error. Further, the mobile telephone in a closed state is reduced in size and is therefore convenient for a user to carry. In addition, the operating portion and the display surface can easily be increased in size.
A mobile terminal of the type is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 2002-320014. The mobile terminal comprises a pair of housings connected to each other to be openable and closable around a rotating portion, and a switch for detecting an opened state and a closed state of the housings. The switch is disposed inside one of the housings. Thus, the opened state and the closed state of the housings are detected by the switch. It is therefore possible to design the mobile terminal so that a power supply to the mobile terminal is automatically turned on and off when the housings are opened and closed, respectively.
However, the switch is disposed inside the one housing so that the mobile terminal is inevitably increased in size and complicated in structure.